This paper investigates and considers factors that affect success in solving a stand-alone geometrical problem by 182 students of the 7th and 8th grades of elementary school. The starting point for consideration is a geometrical task from the National Secondary School Leaving Exam in Croatia (State Matura), utilising elementary-level geometry…

This study aims to determine how prospective middle school mathematics teachers respond to students' errors in the questions about the equal sign. This study utilizes case study method. In this case study, hypothetical scenarios, involving three common error types related to the equal sign, have been prepared by using the possible examples of…

Algebra is a gatekeeper. For the 6% of students with dyscalculia (i.e., mathematical learning disabilities), an inability to pass algebra may significantly limit academic and career opportunities. Unfortunately, prior research on dyscalculia has focused almost exclusively on elementary-aged students' deficits in speed and accuracy in arithmetic…

This exploratory study reports on characteristics of proof production and proof writing observed in the work of first-year university students who took part in workshops on the theorem prover LEAN (https://leanprover.github.io). These workshops were voluntary and offered alongside a transition to proof module in a UK university. Through…

This research focuses on ways in which balance scales mediate students' relational understandings of the equal sign. Participants included 21 Kindergarten-Grade 2 students who took part in an early algebra classroom intervention focused in part on developing a relational understanding of the equal sign through the use of balance scales. Students…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the 8th graders interpreted the equal sign in the pan balance activities they created on Scratch. Five eighth graders (4 girls and 1 boy) in Turkey participated in this study. Case study was employed as a qualitative research method. Data was gathered through the Scratch files created by the…

Functional thinking is an established route into algebra. However, the learning mechanisms that support the transition from arithmetic to functional thinking remain unclear. In the current study we explored children's pre-instructional intuitive reactions to functional thinking content, relying on a conceptual change perspective and using mixed…

Studies of errors in mathematics are essential for mathematics educators to design and contextualize a whole new instruction accordingly. Nonetheless, less attention has been given to the mathematical writing errors when compared to the mathematical conceptual and procedural errors. It is mainly because the former mistakes usually do not affect…

In this paper, we introduce and discuss a construct called "graphical forms," an extension of Sherin's symbolic forms. In its original conceptualization, symbolic forms characterize the ideas students associate with patterns in a mathematical expression. To expand symbolic forms beyond only characterizing mathematical equations, we use…

For students to advance beyond arithmetic, they must learn how to attend to the structure of math notation. This process can be challenging due to students' left-to-right computing tendencies. Brackets are used in mathematics to indicate precedence but can also be used as superfluous cues and perceptual grouping mechanisms in instructional…

It is widely acknowledged that communicating mathematical thinking is complex, difficult, and often messy. In this article, the authors explore how mathematical thinking is communicated, providing examples of strategies for teachers and students to use in the mathematics classroom.

Translation skills are very important possessed by students, but currently, there are still many students who have difficulty in translating between representations. The purpose of this study is to analyze students' errors in translating from symbolic representations to verbal and graphic representations. This research was descriptive study with…

Young children's symbolic magnitude understanding, or knowledge of how written numerals and number words can be ordered and compared, is thought to play an important role in their mathematical development. There is consistent evidence that symbolic magnitude skills predict mathematical achievement in later childhood and adulthood. Yet less is…

Identifying and addressing the knowledge gap in early numeracy is crucial, given the strong associations between early numeracy skills and later school success. The purpose of this study is to establish current viewpoints and ideas on children's numeracy development via three forms of representation: manipulative, symbolic, and static. The…

This research shares progressions in thinking about equations and the equal sign observed in ten students who took part in an early algebra classroom intervention across Kindergarten and first grade. We report on data from task-based interviews conducted prior to the intervention and at the conclusion of each school year that elicited students'…